Local women ditch makeup to support worldwide cancer campaign

A collage of local women, compiled Sunday, March 23, 2014, who are supporting the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign for cancer awareness that's gone viral worldwide in the last week. (Illustration: DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star)

For Rosanna Scalzo, baring a makeup-less photo of herself on Facebook was a chance to feel what she says her mother felt before she died of cancer – a disease that caused her to sometimes be embarrassed of her appearance, and often avoid being photographed.

“She always found it difficult to take photographs of herself because she felt she didn’t look good,” Scalzo said Saturday, after posting the photo of herself without makeup in support of a campaign known as #NoMakeupSelfie that has gone viral in the past week.

Josie Iannicello, 23, posted a selfie March 22, 2014, to support the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign for cancer awareness

Women across the world have been posting photos they take of themselves – known as selfies – without makeup on through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Along with the selfie, many are posting information and links to raise awareness and money for cancer, and after posting the photo, people nominate others – such as friends and family – to follow suit.

The craze became popular in the U.K. early last week, said Judy Lund, manager of the local office of the Canadian Cancer Society. She said when the trend began, it took just 48 hours for the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign to generate more than £2 million in donations for Cancer Research UK. The British charity received more than 800,000 text donations within 24 hours after it began sharing the text code for donating on its Facebook and Twitter pages, said Lund.

The trend quickly caught on in Canada and Lund is happy that many locals have chosen to participate.

Across Windsor-Essex, women have become bare to make people more aware of cancer and the need for funding for research. Scalzo said she was nominated by a co-worker to post a selfie, then she nominated her sister, Josie Iannicello.

Scalzo and Iannicello’s mother, Rita Iannicello, died of cancer in 2010 after battling the disease for six years.

“Watching our mother suffer through the disease, your body changes and you begin to not look like yourself, and so you have no choice but to accept the changes and know that you are beautiful no matter what,” said Scalzo. “It takes a lot to accept what you look like. Beauty is on the inside, but many women and young girls feel that they need makeup to look beautiful.”

Rosanna Scalzo, 29, posted a selfie March 22, 2014, to support the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign for cancer awareness

Scalzo said she was nervous to post the picture without makeup because she wears it daily. Foundation eye liner, mascara and lip gloss are go-to products in the morning to get the day started, said both sisters.

“I feel like this campaign is a way for women to support each other and stand by one another, providing confidence and motivation,” said Scalzo. “It takes a lot to post a picture without makeup and show the world what you look like.”

Josie said she was touched by her Facebook feed lighting up with so many locals ditching their makeup and exposing their bare-faced photos. Both said the campaign is especially meaningful to them and many others who have been affected by cancer personally.

“It takes you back and you begin to connect in some way to how my mom must have felt,” said Josie. “But it probably doesn’t even come close to how she was feeling or what thoughts went through her mind.”

Lund said locals should see this campaign as an opportunity to not only raise awareness, but much needed funding for the Canadian Cancer Society by donating money like our British counterparts. She said the easiest way to donate is by text messaging the word FIGHT to 45678, which will contribute $5 to the Canadian Cancer Society. After approving the donation through email, the amount will be automatically added to your cell phone bill, said Lund.

When people post their selfies, they should include a line instructing people about this easy way to donate through text message, said Lund.

Andrea Tonial, 21, posted a selfie March 21, 2014, to support the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign for cancer awareness

Stefani Blak, 25, posted her makeup-less selfie to Facebook on Thursday after being nominated to do so by a friend.

“I think this campaign is positive because it is encouraging women to accept and love the skin they’re in, no matter what imperfections they may have,” said Blak, who lives in Windsor.

Scalzo and Iannicello weren’t alone in hesitating to bare their faces sans makeup for the world to see. Blak said she, too, was a bit undecided on the trend. She said she wasn’t quite sure how her photo would be received by others, and thought she may be judged because every other photo she’s posted has been of her wearing makeup.

“Once it was posted, it made me realize that this wasn’t as bad as I thought,” said Blak. “This campaign got me to step out of my comfort zone and instead of the judgment I thought I’d receive, I received support and acceptance, and I think that if we accept our own true beauty, inside and outside, we become more accepting of others and they of us in return.”

Twenty-one-year-old Windsorite Andrea Tonial posted her shot on Friday along with this message:

“We all know I’m a makeup fiend, but today I skipped my routine and spent those five minutes giving myself a self-breast exam. Breast cancer is something everyone can get, no matter your age, so it’s important that even in our 20s, we are being proactive. 40 % of diagnosed breast cancer comes from women who found a lump. But don’t fret, when detected early, the survival rate for localized breast cancer is 98%!”

Tonial said Sunday the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign is good because it gets the younger generation involved in cancer awareness.

Stefani Black, 25, posted a selfie March 20, 2014, to support the #NoMakeupSelfie campaign for cancer awareness

“It’s getting more and more common for younger women to be diagnosed, so we have to look out for ourselves,” said Tonial. “Everyone seems to think it’s only an older women’s disease.”

With her photo, Tonial shared a link to a website that goes over how to properly give yourself a breast exam. And instead of singling out a handful of Facebook friends to nominate and carry on the campaign, Tonial decided to do something a little different.

“I’m nominating everyone on my friends list to skip the eyeliner once a month and give yourself a breast exam instead,” she wrote with the selfie she posted. “You could be saving your life.”

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